Quick drafts of items in a primary work queue

ABSTRACT

Techniques disclosed herein facilitate the use of the primary work queue within an information management application as a centralized access point for creating and viewing multiple types of new draft items such as a note, to-do, or message item. An information management application can receive a new item request through its user interface and initiate a new draft item in response to the new item request. A view of new draft item can then be surfaced in a primary work queue of the information management application. The item type of the new draft item may be different than other item types in the primary work queue.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application is a continuation of U.S. Ser. No. 14/255,627, filedApr. 17, 2014.

BACKGROUND

As modern work has become increasingly computer-based, users have had tointegrate electronic messaging into their daily workflow. In fact,electronic messaging is so important to both home and work environmentstoday that people sometimes use electronic messaging functionality as acentral point for managing tasks. In some cases, users may “draft amessage” to remind themselves to perform a particular task or to takenote of an idea. The draft message function thus takes on the role ofto-do list management for many users.

However, in some electronic messaging applications, draft messages aredisplayed in a separate list or folder from a main view or list ofmessages. In addition, there may be inconsistencies across devices inhow drafts are displayed. When draft messages are in a separate list orfolder, the user has to navigate to this additional list to view thedraft and retrieve the reminder to perform a task. One work-around forthe separate draft message lists is for a user to address and send thedraft message to herself so that the message appears in their inbox, ormain message list. However, this requires a network connection so thatthe messaging client can send and receive the message. Even in messagingapplications with “to-do” list functionality, the to-do items may bepresented in their own list, separate from the message list, such thatusers' task management workflow is not centralized.

BRIEF SUMMARY

Techniques are disclosed for simplifying the creation of new draft itemsand integrating the presentation of the items within an informationmanagement application's primary work queue. Techniques disclosed hereinfacilitate the use of the primary work queue within an informationmanagement application as a centralized access point for creating andviewing multiple types of new draft items.

Implementations described herein enable a user to quickly create notes,to-dos, reminders, calendar notations, and other items concerningpending tasks within an information management application. The quicklycreated items are available within the information managementapplication's primary work queue in concert with emails, messages,notifications, and other pending work. The techniques enable a seamlessworkflow spanning across incoming messages and self-assigned tasks.

In some implementations, the entry point to creating a quick draft of anitem may be a single step where an input of typing, gesturing, orspeaking from within an information management application may initiatea new draft item user interface from which draft content may be input.In some cases, a menu command may be used instead of or in addition tothe input initiating the creation of a draft item. In some cases, anyinformation management application item being created or modified by auser may default as a quick draft unless and/or until the draft is savedas a particular item or sent as a message.

In some implementations, the item type of new draft item may bedetermined by the application. Based on the item type of the new draftitem, the view of the new draft item presented in the primary work queuemay have an item-type view with item-specific features or functionality;item-related interface functionality, item context functions, and triagegestures that specifically relate to the new draft item type may beprovided. The item type may be changed or specifically selected by theuser at any time and the item-type view with item-specific features orfunctionality adjusted by the application accordingly.

This Summary is provided to introduce a selection of concepts in asimplified form that are further described below in the DetailedDescription. This Summary is not intended to identify key features oressential features of the claimed subject matter, nor is it intended tobe used to limit the scope of the claimed subject matter.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIGS. 1A and 1B show functional and graphical diagrams, respectively,for implementing a quick draft in a primary work queue of an informationmanagement application.

FIGS. 2A-2C illustrate an example scenario of an entry point toinitiating a new draft item in an information management applicationinvolving an email application.

FIGS. 3A-3C illustrate an example scenario of generating a draft item inan information management application involving an email application.

FIGS. 4A-4E illustrate another example scenario of generating a draftitem in an information management application involving an emailapplication.

FIGS. 5A-5D illustrate an example scenario of generating a draft item inan information management application involving a social mediaapplication.

FIG. 6 shows a block diagram illustrating components of a system used insome embodiments.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Techniques are disclosed for simplifying the creation of new draft itemsand integrating the presentation of the items within an informationmanagement application's primary work queue. Techniques disclosed hereinfacilitate the use of the primary work queue within an informationmanagement application as a centralized access point for creating andviewing multiple types of new draft items.

An information management application refers to an application thatfunctions as an electronic organizer and manager of information deemedof value to a user, such as collections of various forms of content(documents, music, images, and the like), calendars, task lists, andcontacts. Information management applications often incorporate emailand other electronic messaging services. An “electronic messagingapplication,” “email client,” or “email application” refers to a programthat enables a user to access the user's email or other electronicmessaging services. An information management application may be a localapplication running on the user's computing device (e.g., a desktopcomputer, mobile device) or a web application accessed by the user via abrowser running on the user's computing device.

Examples of desktop information management applications that mayimplement the techniques and features herein include, but are notlimited to, Microsoft Outlook®, IBM Lotus Notes®, and Apple® Mail.Examples of mobile email information management applications that mayimplement the techniques and features herein include, but are notlimited to, the Gmail® App for Android™, MailDroid™, and TouchDown™.

Some information management applications may depend on web orcloud-based services and, as such, are accessible through a web browser.Examples of browser-based clients are Google Gmail®, Outlook.com,Microsoft's Outlook Web Access (OWA) for accessing Microsoft Exchangecorporate email and information management services over a web browser,and Yahoo!® Mail. In some cases, a native information managementapplication can be available. Examples of such information managementapplications include Trello® from Fog Creek Software and Asana® fromAsana Inc.

Although email applications are predominantly described herein forimplementing a new draft item capability, other messaging services andmodalities may also implement the described techniques and features.Thus, embodiments may be implemented in a variety of informationmanagement applications.

Included in the notion of an information management application areapplications that include services that are not traditional forms ofelectronic messaging. One category of a non-traditional informationmanagement application can include social media applications. Forexample, the Facebook® social media service includes views of anaccount-holder's new messages from friends, acquaintances, andadvertisers. Facebook® also includes news views and various “home page”views of the user's posted content. Facebook's web browser applicationallows varying forms of presentation of these messages, news, and homeviews. Mobile device clients (such as the Facebook App or FacebookPaper) may show additional views of the same information provided fromthe Facebook service.

Another information management application is a “news reader.” A newsreader is an application that may be installed on a desktop, mobile, orother device for reading news stories gathered by an aggregating newsfeed service. A user might subscribe to such a service based on aninterest in various categories of news topics, and then utilize one of avariety of news reader applications to review, filter, sort, and managethe views of daily news to which he or she subscribes. News readerapplications may run in a web browser, such as Feedly™, or may runlocally on a mobile device client. Examples of mobile news readers areFeedly™ for Android, Reeder for iOS, and gReader for Android, andFacebook Paper™.

Other aggregator/personal assistant applications and services such asGoogle Now™ available from Google Inc., Siri® available from Apple Inc.,and Cortana® available from Microsoft Corp., which pull information fromnews sites and local (client) information, may be considered informationmanagement applications for incorporating the techniques describedherein.

A point of commonality between each of these information managementapplications—whether they are traditional email clients, social mediaapplications, news reader applications, or other applicationcategories—is that they each have a notion of a “primary work queue” orprimary view of the world.

A primary work queue in an information management application is acentralized location where the user may go to see notifications,messages, news, to-dos, notes, or other pending work that has beendelegated to the user or that is self-assigned. A user may also takeaction on the items from the primary work queue. Some informationmanagement applications may have more than one primary work queue, theselection of which depends on user preference or other criteria.

In an email application like Gmail, the primary work queue is the inbox.In a social media application like Facebook, the primary work queue maybe the notifications view, news feed view, or the messages view(depending on user utilization and configuration). In a news reader likeFeedly™, the primary work queue may be the “home” view, which shows asampling of the most recent news items in each of the subscribed newscategories.

The term “draft item” as used herein includes any message or contenttype that may be found within an information management application.Many item types may be present in an information management application.For example, item types may include messages, to-do list items, calendaritems, contacts, reminders, and even customizable types. In a socialmedia application providing the information management application, anitem type may include a message from a friend, an advertisement, a newsitem, and a photo posting. In a news reader application providing theinformation management application, an item type includes news items. Anew draft item may be referred to herein in various ways, including“draft item”, “item”, and “new item.” Here, a draft item is expected tobe initiated by the user and not received from an outside source.However, the availability of the new draft item to be viewed by someoneother than the user is not precluded.

Implementations described herein enable a user to quickly create notes,to-dos, reminders, calendar notifications, and other items concerningpending tasks within an information management application. The quicklycreated items are available within the information managementapplication's primary work queue in concert with emails, messages,notifications, and other pending work. The techniques enable a seamlessworkflow spanning across incoming messages and self-assigned tasks.

In some implementations, the type of new draft item may be determinedbased on natural language processing of initial command words or of thetext that forms the content of the new draft item.

For example, a new draft item with the content “meet with Jenny onThursday at 10” can cause a calendar item to be created in someimplementations. “File taxes by April 15” can create a to-do item withan attached reminder in some implementations. Combination items are evenenvisioned, for example “Complete the sales report for meeting withJenny on Thursday” can spawn both a to-do item (for the sales report)and a calendar item type (for the meeting time). The calendar item andto-do item generated in this manner can be available in the primary workqueue or provided in one form in the primary work queue and in a moretraditional form in a corresponding calendar and task list portion ofthe application. Where multiple forms of the item are provided, the twoforms can be synchronized so that updating one can automatically updatethe other.

In some implementations, techniques enable the addition of item-relatedinterface functionality, item context functions, and triage gesturesthat specifically relate to the new draft item type. In someimplementations, available commands and menus for the items in theprimary work queue may be dependent on item type; thus, a determinationof item type for a new draft item can affect the available commands bywhich the draft item may be acted upon. For example, triage gestures mayallow the user to use a “swiping” finger motion to mark a to-do listitem as completed.

In some implementations, the view of the new draft item presented in theprimary work queue may include item-specific features (which may bereferred to herein as an “item-type view”). For example, if a new draftitem type is determined to be a “to do” list item, the view of the itemin the primary work queue may contain a checkbox so that the user mayquickly mark the item completed.

In some implementations, additional, enhanced, and/or modified views ofcontent of a new draft item may be generated. For example, a user mayenter content for a draft item without specifying a title or subject andthe subject or title of the item in the view for the draft item may beautomatically generated from the first line of text in the content areaor from an analysis of the content.

FIGS. 1A and 1B show functional and graphical diagrams, respectively,for implementing a quick draft in a primary work queue of an informationmanagement application. The user interface element(s) of an informationmanagement application can be presented to the user in a variety of waysdepending on the particular implementation.

In FIG. 1A, a process flow for implementing a quick draft in a primarywork queue may begin upon receipt of a user's indication of an intent toinitiate a new draft item in a primary work queue of an informationmanagement application (100). Turning briefly to FIG. 1B, in a firststate, Display A, which may be embodied as a device 130 such asdescribed with respect to FIG. 6, instantiates information managementapplication 131. Primary work queue is depicted by element 132. A usermay interact with and perform a number of tasks, including implementinga quick draft, within the user interface of the information managementapplication 131. Accordingly, to enter the process flow for the quickdraft as described herein, the information management application 131receives a user indication 101 specific to initiating a new draft item(see operation 100 of FIG. 1A). The user indication 101 can be via auser interface system such as described with respect to FIG. 6.

In some implementations, the entry point to creating a quick draft of anitem may be a single step where an input of typing, gesturing, orspeaking from within an information management application may initiatea new draft item user interface from which draft content may be input.In some cases, a menu command (e.g., a “new item” command) may be usedto initiate the creation of a draft item. In some cases, the input oftyping, gesturing, or speaking from within an information managementapplication may initiate any number of actions and a menu may bepresented so that a user can select to initiate the creation of a draftitem from the input as opposed to another action such as a search. Insome cases, any information management application item being created ormodified by a user may default as a quick draft unless and/or until thedraft is saved as a particular item or sent as a message (or otherwisesaved or committed).

Any number of kinds of indication gestures, including clicking a buttonwith a mouse or pressing the button on a touch-screen device may be usedto initiate a quick draft in the primary work queue. In some cases, theindication gesture may be merely starting to type on the keyboard andallowing natural language interpretation components to decide theintended action. For example, a user may start typing “remember themilk” and the application may be able to determine that a task or to-doitem is desired by the user. In some cases, the typing may be aparticular key-code combination including a command sequence. Forexample, a command sequence of Ctrl-t-d may indicate that a to-do itemis being drafted. Another kind of indication using a keyboard may beprefacing the typed text with indicator language such as “todo:” whichthen prompts the system to launch a new draft item window. The indicatorlanguage then may be removed by the system when the new item is createdor used as a title for the content following the indicator language.

In some cases, a new draft item indication may be a paste command orgesture indicating the pasting of text from a previously copiedselection of text. The user indication may also include selection orhighlighting of content from within the messaging application, theinformation management application as a whole, or even from applicationsseparate from the information management application (e.g., content forma website rendered in a web browser, content from a word processingapplication or reader application, and the like).

New draft item indications may also include non-touch and non-typinguser input such as voice commands. Voice commands may be interpreted bya speech and natural language processor to determine the intent tocreate a new draft item. Simple voice commands such as “To-do” mayindicate to the system the beginning of a new draft item. For examplethe user may speak “to-do,” and in response the system launches a newdraft item, processes the spoken language, and inputs the spoken text(or content specified in a spoken command) into the new draft item thatis then displayed in the application's primary work queue. Speechcommands may be used to insert files or create content so that text,images, and other content may be part of a new draft item.

User indication relevant to wearable devices may even indicate the newdraft item is to be created. For instance, if the user utilizes a devicewhich is capable of detecting eye movements, the device might detectthat the user's eye gestures toward or lingers on a command area,indicating the user's interest in initiating a new draft item.

It should be emphasized that these examples are for illustrativepurposes only and are not intended to limit the possible ways ofindicating a new draft item. Some of the different methods of indicationare depicted in usage scenarios described later.

Returning to FIG. 1A, once the indication of intent is received (and insome cases detected), the information management application mayinitiate a new draft item (110). The initiation of a new draft item mayinclude providing a graphical user interface for composing a new draftitem. For example, as illustrated in FIG. 1B, in response to receiving auser indication (100), the information management application in DisplayA initiates an interface transition to Display B, allowing entry of thenew draft item content as described above. The new draft item entrystate transforms the information management application into view 133,where a new draft item composition interface 134-A has surfaced so theuser may enter content.

Returning again to FIG. 1A, as an optional processing step, informationmanagement application may automatically or semi-automatically determinethe intended new draft item type (115). The item type of the new draftitem may be determined directly or indirectly. For example, in someimplementations, a menu may be provided so that a user can select aparticular item type for the new draft item. In some implementations,the information management application analyzes the content and/ormetadata associated with the new draft item to determine the particularitem type for the new draft item. In some cases, certain metadata can begenerated for the new draft item based on the content. For example, asubject line or the due date of an action item may be determined fromthe content and this metadata populated automatically by the informationmanagement application. Of course, it should be noted that the subjectline is not required to be automatically populated and in some cases,simply a preview of some or all of the content of the new draft item maybe displayed.

During (as the user enters content or at periodic intervals similar toan automatic save of content) or after the time the user enters contentinto the new draft item composition interface, the informationmanagement application implementing disclosed techniques may surface aview of the new draft item in the primary work queue (120).

For example, as shown in FIG. 1B, the primary work queue 132 may stillbe visible in the display while the new draft item composition interface134-A is presented. In some cases, the location of the primary workqueue in the display may change, for example by being shifted to theleft-hand side. Of course other arrangements are envisioned that allow,for some implementations, at least part of the primary work queue 132 tobe viewed while the user enters content in a composition interface134-A. In the example illustrated in FIG. 1B, as the user enters contentvia the composition interface 134-A, a view of the new draft item 134-Bcan surface in the primary work queue 132. It should be understood thatthe new draft item composition interface may vary widely betweendifferent devices and different information management applications andthat the examples and capabilities provided herein are merely forillustration.

Completing the entry of the new draft item can transform the informationmanagement application interface back to view 131 as shown in Display C.Final disposition of the new draft item 134-B has placed it at the topof the primary work queue 132. In some embodiments, the new draft itemview that is surfaced in the primary work queue may be a summary viewthat contains all of, a part of, summarized, truncated, or modifiedinformation from that entered in the content are by the user.

In some implementations, the information management application mayenable the new draft item indication and presentation within the primarywork queue to take place in an “offline” mode where the application isnot connected to an underlying information service. For example,practically all mobile applications and some web-browser-basedinformation management applications have local storage for offline modesof operation. By taking advantage of the offline capabilities of someinformation management applications, the proposed techniques enablelocal entry, storage, and presentation of the new draft item withoutrequiring network connectivity. The proposed techniques thus represent adistinct advantage over traditional usage patterns that involve the usersending himself or herself an email message in order to show the messagein the inbox.

EXAMPLE SCENARIOS

Several example scenarios are now presented in which techniquesdescribed herein are implemented on a touchscreen device such as atablet, smartphone, or desktop device with touchscreen capability. Thevarious scenario examples depict different embodiments of entry pointsto initiate a new draft item and determination of item types. It shouldbe noted that, while example scenarios depict touchscreen devices, othertypes of devices covering a wide range of operating environments thatimplement a variety of information management applications mayincorporate or utilize disclosed techniques. The depiction of atouchscreen device in the scenarios below is not intended to belimiting. Furthermore, the particular arrangement of elements and theirappearance are merely intended to illustrate how the techniques may berepresented in a user interface and should not be construed as limitingthe manner that the described techniques are implemented.

FIGS. 2A-2C illustrate an example scenario of an entry point toinitiating a new draft item in an information management applicationinvolving an email application.

FIG. 2A shows an initial view of an email application's primary workqueue ready to receive an indication of a new draft item.

In FIG. 2A, tablet device 200 shows a view of an email application'sinbox 201 having, on the left side, a list view 202 of messages andother items (user-generated and user-received); and, on the right side,an area for previewing or viewing an expanded view 203 of a message orother item from the list of messages and other items 204. In the figure,the first message thread 205-A in the list 204 is shown in the expandedview 203 as a viewable portion of the string of individual messages andreplies 205-B forming the selected message thread 205-A.

In the example shown in FIG. 2A, an icon is used to indicate that aninput to the information management application is to be received. Here,two touch selection areas 206, 207 are shown that may be relevant to atouchscreen computing device, a touchscreen keyboard input icon 206 anda voice command input icon 207. From the initial state shown in FIG. 2A,the email application may be agnostic as to which indication will beused to prompt the new draft item, as well as agnostic as to which typeof new draft item will ultimately be created.

Illustrated, but not yet described is element 208, which represents anexpansion command that may surface additional commands that can becarried out with respect to the email application's inbox 201 and/or theemail application itself.

By using a fingertip or stylus to select the touchscreen keyboard inputicon 206, the system initiates the touchscreen keyboard input interface.

FIG. 2B shows the inbox view 201 having an overlaid touchscreen keyboard210. When a user touches a key on the touchscreen keyboard, the systemmay recognize the indication to begin a new draft item, prompting theinterface to transition to a new draft item entry interface. In someimplementations, the key that is pressed to indicate the initiation of anew draft item may be a particular single key or key combination orkeyboard shortcut. For example, an application may interpret an input ofthe letter “N” as an indicator to begin a new draft item. In someimplementations, the application implementing the proposed techniquesmay interpret any input from a keyboard while the application is in theinbox view 201 as indicating the initiation of a new draft item. Thus,the user may simply start typing the text of the new draft item and theapplication will launch a new draft item composition interface (e.g.,134-A of FIG. 1B) and insert the typed text.

Returning to FIG. 2A, as another option, by using a fingertip or stylusto select the voice command input mechanism 207, the user may prompt thesystem to initiate a voice command input interface. It should be notedthat, in some implementations, selecting the voice command inputmechanism may not require a touchscreen indication, for example wherethe voice command input interface is prompted by speaking a commandphrase of some kind, such as “computer, listen.”

FIG. 2C shows the inbox view 201 having an overlaid voice command inputinterface 220. In FIG. 2C, an overlay of a voice command input interface220 may surface to communicate to a user that the system is ready tocapture and interpret spoken commands or language using speech-to-textor natural language processing facilities. In similar manner to how thesystem may interpret input from a keyboard as described with respect toFIG. 2B, voice command input interface 220 may allow the user to speak acommand that launches a quick draft. For example, receipt of a voicecommand, “new item,” may initiate a new draft item. Speech that isreceived following the voice command can be applied as content of thenew draft item. In some implementations, the voice command inputinterface 220 may be configured to interpret spoken words such that anyspoken words will initiate a new draft item. The spoken words themselvesmay initiate the new draft item interface and the text of the spokenwords, after speech-to-text processing, may be inserted as the contentthe new draft item.

FIGS. 3A-3C illustrate an example scenario of generating a draft item inan information management application involving an email application.

In the example scenario of FIGS. 3A-3C, the new draft item depicted is asimple “note” type that serves as a virtual version of a paper stickynote.

Returning briefly to FIG. 2B, a user entering text directly from akeyboard may enter a state for creating a new draft item such as shownin FIG. 3A. As illustrated in FIG. 3A, a draft item compositioninterface 300 may surface in an email application interface in responseto receiving input from a user, for example via a keyboard 301 or otherinput device. In some cases, a list 302 or some particular view of theprimary work queue may also be viewable while the draft item compositioninterface 300 is being displayed on the user's device 310.

As a user types on the (touchscreen) keyboard 301 while within thecomposition interface 300, the typed text 311 provides the content for anew draft item. In some cases where a list 302 is displayed with thedraft item composition interface 300, the text 311 is reflected in acomposition surface 312 of the composition interface 300 and at leastsome of the text 311 is displayed as a new item 315 in the list 302.

At this point, the system may be agnostic as to the type of item beingentered into the new draft item interface. In some implementations,traditional email message information fields may be available throughthe interface, as shown by elements for entering a subject line (subjectfield 316) and one or more message recipients (recipient field 317).However, these information fields may be omitted and/or other fields maybe included depending on the implementation. In some cases, the systemcan determine whether certain input fields should be included in thecomposition interface 300 and/or automatically populate certain fieldsof a new item (e.g., item 315) depending on the content (text and/orimages) input to the composition surface 312.

FIG. 3B illustrates a state in which a user has entered content 321 tothe composition surface 312. When no subject text is entered into asubject field 316 (or if no such field is present, the first line of thecontent area may be interpreted by the system as the “title” or“subject” 322 for the new item 315. Some or all of the remaining content321-B may be shown in the message list 302.

In the example illustrated in FIG. 3B, a “note” item type indicator 323is shown on the item 315 in the message list 302. An item type indicatormay be used to provide additional information to the user about thecontent of an item once it becomes listed in the application's primarywork queue. The determination that the new draft item 315 is a note itemtype may be made by the system based on a number of factors such as, butnot limited to, the content, the use of or lack of a subject, recipientand/or other input field of the composition interface 300, explicitindicators in the content for an item type (e.g., “to-do”, “schedulemeeting”), and/or selection (e.g., via menu options) for the item type.

In some embodiments, natural language processing may be used to discernitem types through interpretation of the text typed in the content areaof the new draft item. This reduces the need for item type selectors orother interface elements that may make interacting with the new draftitem more cumbersome for the user. In the example in FIG. 3B, no useraction was required to tag the item type as a “note.” Instead, thesystem discerned that the content of the new draft item, which containsseveral lines of text and no specific action verb in the first line, wasmost likely a “note” type and not a to-do list item, calendar item, orother item type.

It should be understood that the item-type associated with a new draftitem may be changed—either automatically by the system when the userchanges content within the draft or in response to a user selection of aparticular item-type. The item-type may be adjusted, in some cases, atany time. For example, a draft item of “Ask Ben about the prototype” maybe initially indicated as a note or a to-do item depending on how theapplication discerns the draft (and/or what the user may initiallyselect as the item-type of the new draft item). The user may at sometime edit the draft item in a manner that the draft item is morphed intoa message that can be sent to Ben, for example by the user including arecipient contact for Ben.

FIG. 3C shows a state of the interface after the new draft item isentered. For example, just prior to the view in FIG. 3C, the user mayhave clicked away from the content entry area of the new draft item,closed the keyboard, indicated a device-specific “back” command,selected “enter” on a keyboard, or performed another action indicatingcompletion of , saving of or exiting from the new draft item. In FIG.3C, the new note 315 is depicted in the inbox or primary work queue anda preview/full view of the new draft item 330 can be shown. In somecases, the content of the new draft item 330 appears withoutmodification from how it was entered. In some cases, formatting and/oradditional features may be added by the system based on the item typeand/or other aspects related to the content of the item. For example, ato-do list may have system-generated check boxes and a note may have asystem-generated title (which may text taken from the content or createdbased on the content).

FIGS. 4A-4E illustrate another example scenario of generating a draftitem in an information management application involving an emailapplication.

In the example in the series of FIGS. 4A-4E, the new draft item isdetermined by the system to be a “to-do” item type. Starting with FIG.4A, the user may have already indicated the intent to begin typing a newdraft item, for example, in a manner described with respect to FIG. 2A.FIG. 4A shows the user beginning to enter a new draft item to serve as a“to-do” list item with a specific due date, in this case an item toremind her to file her taxes by April 15. As has been depicted in priorexamples, but not intended to be limiting, entering text via keyboard401 into the content area 402 of the new draft item may simultaneouslydisplay the text in the item view 403 in the primary work queue view404.

Continuing on to FIG. 4B, the user's entry of the content 405 for thenew draft item has been completed. The content 405 for the new draftitem may be reflected both in the content area 402 and in the item view403 in the primary work queue. After completing her typing, the user mayindicate that the entry process is finished (e.g., with selection 407 toclose the keyboard).

In FIG. 4C, since the system determined that the new item was a to-doitem upon the user completing her typing, the item view may surface as anew to-do list item 408 in the primary work queue view 404.

The system may have discerned the new draft item type from the naturallanguage text typed into the new draft item's content area. The user'sintent to make this a to-do list item with an attached reminder may havebeen discerned by at least two factors in the example. First, the firstline of the new draft item content includes an action verb, whichindicates a task to be completed as opposed to the notes or otherdescriptive information shown in the series of figures in 3A-3C. Second,the new draft item contains content indicating a “by April 15” which iseasily discernible to a natural language processor as an indication of adue date.

Rather than merely show the new to-do list item view 408 in the primarywork queue view 409 exactly as written, the example embodiment depictsthe to-do list item view in a modified or summarized form to enhanceuser interaction with the to-do list item. These enhanced userinteractions may be desirable aspects of the disclosed techniques whenthe primary work queue contains a multiplicity of item types, e.g.,notes, messages, to-do list items, etc. It should be noted that othermethods of depicting a to-do list item, with or without a due date, arepossible and this example embodiment is but one view.

To-do list item view 408 shows several such enhancements. First, the newto-do list item view shown is a modification of the user's originalentered text. The title or subject of the item 410, shown in bold, hasbeen shortened to reflect the direct action of the to-do task (“Filetaxes”). Second, the due date for the task 411 has been moved to theline below the subject, where the due date can be more clearlydisplayed. Third, unlike traditional draft emails, the new to-do listitem view does not have a sender and recipient line indication which isnot relevant to the item type.

Fourth, in some embodiments—those where a messaging application hasfeatures for reminder notification—the due date for the task may berecorded in the reminder notification system such that the user isnotified that the to-do task is upcoming, due, or late.

Fifth, the example embodiment depicts the to-do list item view as havinga “check box” 412 user interface element that the user may click orpress to indicate completion of the described task. In the figure, theuser is shown as readying to indicate completion of the task with afinger-press.

FIG. 4D shows an example embodiment in which the application depicts acompleted to-do list item with further enhancements. In FIG. 4D, thecompleted to-do list item view 408 is rendered in strikethrough text 413and the checkbox 412 is now darkened. In the center of the applicationinterface, an action notification element 415 surfaces to inform theuser that the item has been “completed and archived.” It should be notedthat the use of strikethrough text and an action notification elementare merely examples and are not intended to be limiting. For example, insome embodiments, completed to-do list item may disappear from primarywork queue when checked.

FIG. 4E shows another implementation of marking the item as completethat may be available in some computing environments or devices. In FIG.4E, a smaller touchscreen device 416, like a smartphone, is shown. Acontextual menu may be available for a user to operate on an item in theprimary work queue (or any other list of items) and/or designatedgestures that initiate certain commands may be available (for touchdevices) for a user to perform. In this example, the user is shown usinga press and drag gesture, or “swiping gesture” 420 (action lines areshown to indicate the motion of the item) to slide the completed to-dolist item 408 toward the edge of the screen. In this illustrativeexample, the application may interpret this swiping gesture asindicating a command for marking the to-do list item as being completed.Of course, other gestures may be specified for marking a to-do list itemas being completed—depending on the application, operating system and/ordevice constraints.

As mentioned above, users may take action on individual items from theprimary work queue. According to certain embodiments, the resultingaction from a particular gesture and/or the available menu commands canspecifically depend on the item type. Examples of actions include, butare not limited to, replying to a message, commenting, archiving, savingor assigning a date to the item, and deleting the item. Since anapplication's primary work queue may show a plurality of item types byimplementing the proposed techniques, the application may interpretreceived input according to the context of the type of item being actedupon and/or present menus with available commands specific to aparticular item type. In some cases, specific “triage” options (e.g.,delete, flag/mark complete, move, mark as unread/mark as read,categorize, share, and the like) may be available for an item in theprimary work queue based on the identified item type.

For example, sliding a to-do list item off the border of the screen, asshown in FIG. 4E may mark the to-do list item as a completed task inmuch the same manner as clicking the checkbox did in FIG. 4C. For anitem identified as a “note” (e.g., as shown in FIGS. 3A-3C), the samegesture may be associated with sharing the note with others; and for atraditional message item type, the swiping motion may indicate deletionor archiving.

Many people today utilize social media applications as much as, or evenmore than, they use traditional e-mail applications; for those users theability to create reminders, notes, to-dos and other new draft itemtypes and view them in their social media application's primary workqueue may be a benefit. FIGS. 5A-5D illustrate an example scenario ofgenerating a draft item in an information management applicationinvolving a social media application. Although a “new events” queue isspecifically described, other types of primary work queues arecontemplated (e.g., home view, news view, status view, message view,post view, and the like).

In FIG. 5A, a social media application 501 may have, as a user's primarywork queue, a new events queue 502 for providing a centralized view ofthe diverse happenings in a user's social media interactions. The newevents queue 502 may serve to direct the user to particular postings,comments and messages to which to read/review and respond. In the newevents queue 502, several notifications of social media-related comments(comment notification 503-A), postings (new photo notification 503-B),and messages (message notification 503-C) are depicted.

FIG. 5B shows the social media application 501 having an overlaid voicecommand input interface 504. The voice command input interfaceinteraction may be triggered while the user is viewing the new eventsqueue 502 via touch or voice-activated detection word, as discussedabove with respect to FIG. 2C. In this example, the user has spoken thewords “stop at the pharmacy,” which was detected by the device andinterpreted via speech-to-text processing to be shown in the voicecommand input interface 504.

Once the content for the new draft item has been entered by the user,the new draft item 505 can surface in the primary work queue 502 of thesocial media application 501, such as illustrated in FIG. 5C. In somecases, the application can assign an item type to the new draft item.The item type may be a default type, a user specified type, or may bebased at least in part on an analysis of the content of the new draftitem.

In the example scenario, the social media application may enable a userto jump to the comment or post referenced in the new event list. For thedraft items, the social media application may enable certain actions tobe made upon those items. In some cases, a user may indicate that a taskhas been completed by performing a designated gesture (e.g., touch, tap,double tap, swipe, or other gesture). For example, as shown in FIG. 5D,a user may select (510) a draft item 505 to indicate that the task hasbeen completed. The selecting (510) of the draft item 505 may remove theitem from the list or, as in the example shown in FIG. 5D, show the textas strikethrough (511).

FIG. 6 shows a block diagram illustrating components of a system used insome embodiments. System 600 may be implemented within a singlecomputing device or distributed across multiple computing devices orsub-systems that cooperate in executing program instructions. System 600can be used to implement myriad computing devices, including but notlimited to a personal computer, a tablet computer, a reader, a mobiledevice, a personal digital assistant, a wearable computer, a smartphone,a laptop computer (notebook or netbook), a gaming device or console, adesktop computer, or a smart television. Accordingly, more or fewerelements described with respect to system 600 may be incorporated toimplement a particular computing device.

System 600, for example, includes a processing system 605 of one or moreprocessors which process data according to the instructions of software610 stored on a storage system 615. Examples of processors of theprocessing system 605 include general purpose central processing units,application specific processors, and logic devices, as well as any othertype of processing device, combinations, or variations thereof.

The software 610 can include an operating system and applicationprograms such as an information management application 620 and/or webbrowser application 625. Device operating systems generally control andcoordinate the functions of the various components in the computingdevice, providing an easier way for applications to connect with lowerlevel interfaces like the networking interface. Non-limiting examples ofoperating systems include Windows® from Microsoft Corp., Apple® iOS™from Apple, Inc., Android® OS from Google, Inc., and the Ubuntu varietyof the Linux OS from Canonical.

It should be noted that the operating system may be implemented bothnatively on the computing device and on software virtualization layersrunning atop the native Device operating system (OS). Virtualized OSlayers, while not depicted in FIG. 6, can be thought of as additional,nested groupings within the operating system space, each containing anOS, application programs, and APIs.

Storage system 615 may include any computer readable storage mediareadable by the processing system 605 and capable of storing software610 including the information management application 620 and/or webbrowser application 625.

Storage system 615 may include volatile and nonvolatile, removable andnon-removable media implemented in any method or technology for storageof information, such as computer readable instructions, data structures,program modules, or other data. Examples of storage media include randomaccess memory, read only memory, magnetic disks, optical disks, CDs,DVDs, flash memory, virtual memory and non-virtual memory, magneticcassettes, magnetic tape, magnetic disk storage or other magneticstorage devices, or any other suitable storage media. In no case is thestorage medium a propagated signal or carrier wave.

In addition to storage media, in some implementations storage system 615may also include communication media over which software may becommunicated internally or externally. Storage system 615 may beimplemented as a single storage device but may also be implementedacross multiple storage devices or sub-systems co-located or distributedrelative to each other. Storage system 615 may include additionalelements, such as a controller, capable of communicating with processingsystem 605.

Software 610 may be implemented in program instructions and among otherfunctions may, when executed by system 600 in general or processingsystem 605 in particular, direct system 600 or the one or moreprocessors of processing system 605 to operate as described herein forfacilitating quick drafts for an information management application(whether it is a traditional information management application, it isprimarily an email application, or it is or includes a social mediaapplication).

In general, software may, when loaded into processing system 605 andexecuted, transform computing system 600 overall from a general-purposecomputing system into a special-purpose computing system customized toimplement quick new draft item entry and integrate primary work queuepresentation as described herein. Indeed, encoding software on storagesystem 615 may transform the physical structure of storage system 615.The specific transformation of the physical structure may depend onvarious factors in different implementations of this description.Examples of such factors may include, but are not limited to thetechnology used to implement the storage media of storage system 615 andwhether the computer-storage media are characterized as primary orsecondary storage.

The system can further include user interface system 630, which mayinclude input/output (I/O) devices and components that enablecommunication between a user and the system 600. User interface system630 can include input devices such as a mouse 631, track pad (notshown), keyboard 632, a touch device 633 for receiving a touch gesturefrom a user, a motion input device 634 for detecting non-touch gesturesand other motions by a user, a microphone for detecting speech 635, andother types of input devices and their associated processing elementscapable of receiving user input.

The user interface system 630 may also include output devices such asdisplay screens 636, speakers (not shown), haptic devices for tactilefeedback (not shown), and other types of output devices. In certaincases, the input and output devices may be combined in a single device,such as a touchscreen display which both depicts images and receivestouch gesture input from the user. Visual output may be depicted on thedisplay 636 in myriad ways, presenting graphical user interfaceelements, text, images, video, notifications, virtual buttons, virtualkeyboards, or any other type of information capable of being depicted invisual form.

The user interface system 630 may also include user interface softwareand associated software (e.g., for graphics chips and input devices)executed by the OS in support of the various user input and outputdevices. The associated software assists the OS in communicating userinterface hardware events to application programs using definedmechanisms. The user interface system 630 including user interfacesoftware may support a graphical user interface, a natural userinterface, or any other type of user interface. For example, thecomposition interface (134-A, 300) and voice command input interface(220) described herein may be presented through user interface system630.

Communications interface 640 may include communications connections anddevices that allow for communication with other computing systems overone or more communication networks (not shown). Examples of connectionsand devices that together allow for inter-system communication mayinclude network interface cards, antennas, power amplifiers, RFcircuitry, transceivers, and other communication circuitry. Theconnections and devices may communicate over communication media (suchas metal, glass, air, or any other suitable communication media) toexchange communications with other computing systems or networks ofsystems. Transmissions to and from the communications interface arecontrolled by the OS, which informs applications of communicationsevents when necessary.

It should be noted that many elements of system 600 may be included in asystem-on-a-chip (SoC) device. These elements may include, but are notlimited to, the processing system 605, a communications interface 640,and even elements of the storage system 615.

It should be understood that computing system 600 is generally intendedto represent a computing system with which software is deployed andexecuted in order to implement an application with the methods forentering quick new draft items and integrating the items' presentationin the primary work queue, as described herein. However, computingsystem 600 may also represent any computing system on which software maybe staged and from where software may be distributed, transported,downloaded, or otherwise provided to yet another computing system fordeployment and execution, or yet additional distribution.

It should be understood that the examples and embodiments describedherein are for illustrative purposes only and that various modificationsor changes in light thereof will be suggested to persons skilled in theart and are to be included within the spirit and purview of thisapplication.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method of operating information managementapplications, the method comprising: receiving a new item requestthrough a user interface to an information management applicationexecuted on a computing device; determining, at the computing device, anitem type of the new draft item; displaying, at a screen of thecomputing device, a primary work queue of the information managementapplication, wherein the primary work queue comprises a list of itemtypes that can be sorted by date and time; and upon creating the newdraft item, generating a view, at the screen of the computing device, ofthe new draft item at the top of the list of item types that can besorted by date and time in the primary work queue of the informationmanagement application.
 2. The method of claim 1, wherein determiningthe item type of the new draft item comprises determining whether thenew draft item is a to-do item or a message item.
 3. The method of claim1, wherein the primary work queue comprises user-generated content anduser-received content.
 4. The method of claim 1, wherein the viewcomprises an item-type view based on the item type of the new draftitem.
 5. The method of claim 1, further comprising identifying contentwithin the new draft item to automatically populate at least onemetadata associated with the new draft item.
 6. The method of claim 1,wherein the screen is a touchscreen.
 7. An apparatus comprising: one ormore computer readable storage media; one or more processors; a screen;and an information management application embodied in programinstructions stored on the one or more computer readable storage mediathat, when executed by the one or more processors, direct the one ormore processors to perform a method comprising: receiving a new itemrequest through a user interface to the information managementapplication; determining an item type of the new draft item; displaying,at the screen, a primary work queue of the information managementapplication, wherein the primary work queue comprises a list of itemtypes that can be sorted by date and time; and upon creating the newdraft item, generating a view, at the screen, of the new draft item atthe top of the list of item types that can be sorted by date and time inthe primary work queue of the information management application.
 8. Theapparatus of claim 7, wherein determining the item type of the new draftitem comprises determining whether the new draft item is a to-do item ora message item.
 9. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the primary workqueue comprises user-generated content and user-received content. 10.The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the view comprises an item-type viewbased on the item type of the new draft item.
 11. The apparatus of claim7, further comprising identifying content within the new draft item toautomatically populate at least one metadata associated with the newdraft item.
 12. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the screen is atouchscreen.
 13. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the informationmanagement application comprises an email application.
 14. The apparatusof claim 7, wherein the information management application comprises asocial media application.
 15. One or more computer readable storagemedia having instructions stored thereon that when executed by one ormore processors, direct the one or more processors to perform a methodcomprising: receiving a new item request through a user interface to aninformation management application executed on a computing device;determining, at the computing device, an item type of the new draftitem; displaying, at a screen of the computing device, a primary workqueue of the information management application, wherein the primarywork queue comprises a list of item types that can be sorted by date andtime; and upon creating the new draft item, generating a view, at thescreen of the computing device, of the new draft item at the top of thelist of item types that can be sorted by date and time in the primarywork queue of the information management application.
 16. The media ofclaim 15, wherein determining the item type of the new draft itemcomprises determining whether the new draft item is a to-do item or amessage item.
 17. The media of claim 15, wherein the primary work queuecomprises user-generated content and user-received content.
 18. Themedia of claim 15, wherein the view comprises an item-type view based onthe item type of the new draft item.
 19. The media of claim 15, furthercomprising identifying content within the new draft item toautomatically populate at least one metadata associated with the newdraft item.
 20. The media of claim 15, wherein the screen is atouchscreen.